The announcement November 15 by Governor Pat Quinn that Guantanamo Bay detainees could be moved to Illinois’ Thomson Correctional Center has generated a number of important questions that deserve answers, according to Senator Tim Bivins.

Senator Bivins said that reports suggest the Thomson Correctional Center is the leading candidate to receive federal detainees, including suspected terrorists, when the federal government closes its military prison located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The prison, which is a supermax facility located in northwestern Illinois, has sat largely empty since it was completed in 2001.

The correctional center was identified as a potential replacement by federal authorities, who would purchase it from Illinois and use it to house approximately 1,600 federal, maximum- security inmates, including approximately 100 detainees from the Guantanamo Bay facility.

News Detail

Senate Week in Review: November 16-20, 2009

11/20/2009

The proposal has sparked criticism from some governmental officials and Illinois residents, who expressed concerns over housing suspected terrorists in Illinois. Critics also say that Illinois’ prison system is already well over capacity, and Thomson should instead be used to reduce overcrowding at other state facilities and hire more guards, thus cutting substantial overtime costs.

It’s estimated that Illinois’ prison are at 140 percent and 170 percent capacity for general and maximum-security populations.

Senator Bivins said much more information is needed before a decision is made.

“At the briefing and tour Monday at Thomson Correctional Center, I asked the Governor’s Chief of Operations Jack Lavin if there is a plan in place for using the proceeds from the sale of the prison. His response was ‘I think we are getting ahead of ourselves.’ I responded that I thought we ‘should get ahead of ourselves’ before making a decision of this magnitude. There are so many factors to consider,” Senator Bivins said.

“I would recommend taking some of the proceeds from the sale of the prison and putting that money toward helping the state’s overcrowded Corrections system. The federal prison systems said it will house 1,600 inmates at Thomson and have 800-900 employees,” he added. “Compare that to the prison in Dixon with 2,200 inmates and fewer than 600 employees.”

Senator Bivins also noted that the financial data needs a closer look.

“The State of Illinois still owes $80 million on the Thomson Prison. We have to pay that off. The Village of Thomson had to have a new wastewater treatment system, for which they floated about $12 million worth of bonds. That still needs to be paid. So we are looking at up to $90 million that is still owed,” Senator Bivins said. “If the sale price is $120 million, as has been suggested, that takes the profit to as low as $30 million.”

The 45th District Senator said the state must weigh all options for the use of Thomson Correctional Center.

“We need to look at the entirety of the situation. We should open up the process. If we are going to sell Thomson, let’s get the best possible price for it. Are there other bidders out there? The State of Pennsylvania is looking for a home for 2,000 inmates – have we explored that opportunity? There are all kinds of issues here that are not being investigated,” Senator Bivins said. “Or if they are being investigated, state officials are not being forthcoming with that information.”

Senator Bivins said lawmakers should have a say in the potential sale. Governor Quinn has said he can sell the facility by arbitrarily declaring it “surplus property.” Lawmakers are concerned that action could set a dangerous precedent impacting virtually every piece of state property. Some lawmakers also believe that if the federal government offers to purchase Thomson, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability must hold hearings on the potential facility closure, as required by state law.

In other news this week, a report revealed that Illinois’ unemployment is the highest it has been in 26 years. The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that the state’s unemployment rate jumped from 10.5 percent in September to 11 percent in October. In October 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.8 percent.

Though there were job losses in Illinois industries, some sectors had noticeable increases in employment. Education and health services, as well as business and construction, all reported gains. Manufacture, transportation and trade sectors experienced losses.

The national unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in October, which is the highest it has been since April 1983.